Porsche Penske Motorsport emerges from a very tough 6h of Imola with a double podium and still the leadership in its hands in the FIA World Endurance Championship rankings.
After the great success in the season opener in Qatar, the official 963s at the Enzo and Dino Ferrari circuit took the second and third step of the podium at the end of a race which saw the cards shuffled by the weather, in which it ran into Ferrari's strategic mistake with all three of its 499Ps.
In the most agitated moment, when it started to rain in some parts of the track, Porsche did the best thing, which was to differentiate the choice to understand what made the most in that situation between wet and dry tyres.
In the end, the #6 of Laurens Vanthoor, André Lotterer and Kévin Estre benefited, finding itself in contention for success against the #7 Toyota in the final stages, although the Frenchman – despite struggling against Kamui Kobayashi's GR010 – he had a 5″ penalty on his back for an infringement committed under the Safety Car regime.
The second place obtained ahead of the twin #5 of Frédéric Makowiecki, Michael Christensen and Matt Campbell is a great result that keeps the German LMDh at the top of the Hypercar Class rankings.
#6 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963: Kevin Estre, Andre Lotterer, Laurens Vanthoor
Photo by: Emanuele Clivati | AG Photo
Post-race, Urs Kuratle appeared particularly happy with a result that a priori seemed rather difficult to bring home, in the meeting with journalists including Motorsport.com.
“A double podium in very difficult conditions is fantastic. Congratulations to the entire team present in Imola and the Weissach and Mannheim departments. We already knew from Saturday that mixed weather conditions awaited us in the race. Today we demonstrated once again that we are always particularly strong in these conditions”, said Porsche Motorsport's official LMDh program manager, who then explained the strategy adopted.
“We examined the matter very carefully and were surprised by the strategy adopted by Ferrari, but we had to be cautious and we were not 100% sure whether this was the right decision or not.”
“We decided to leave car #5 out for another two laps before switching to wet tyres, seeing how the situation was progressing; we saw that at a certain point it was better to change tires and we brought it back in. In this way we is attempted to maximize the possibilities.”
“In addition to the good result in the IMSA series, we can be satisfied with the excellent weekend of Porsche Penske Motorsport. Our growth shows that we are working excellently together and that the pieces of the puzzle are coming together better and better.”
Podium: #7 Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota GR010 – Hybrid: Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi, Nyck de Vries, #6 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963: Kevin Estre, Andre Lotterer, Laurens Vanthoor, #5 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963: Matt Campbell, Michael Christensen, Frederic Makowiecki
Photo by: Emanuele Clivati | AG Photo
Estre tried until the end, but then wisely thought about the future: “A second and third place represents a great weekend for the team. We didn't expect this result in the race, we almost won. The race itself was crazy : with wet tires on a track that was drying, and the first lap back on slicks, it was terrible.”
“I had a little more fuel than the Toyota and so I managed to reduce the gap, but overtaking wasn't possible at that stage. The team worked hard to put a competitive car on the track and to optimize everything. In the dry we lacked the pace compared to Ferrari and Toyota.”
“But with the right strategy and smart tire choice, we did a better job than most. In any case, we are in a much better position than last year!”
Campbell adds: “Given the mixed weather conditions, my stint in this race was really difficult. At times I struggled to keep the car on the track. Finding the right time to change tires was equally tricky. But the start of season continues with good results and podiums for the team.”
#38 Hertz Team Jota Porsche 963: Jenson Button, Philip Hanson, Oliver Rasmussen
Photo by: Paolo Belletti
Porsche also has something to smile about in the privateers' ranking because, despite several difficulties, Jota's 963 followed AF Corse's Ferrari 499P in second and third place in the special ranking.
Jenson Button with Phil Hanson and Oliver Rasmussen finished second on the #38, ahead of the #12 of teammates Norman Nato, Callum Ilott and Will Stevens, who remain championship leaders thanks to the points taken in Imola.
“It was a difficult day from the start. When the rain started, the windshield wipers didn't work, despite trying everything. I couldn't see anything in the rain and with the windscreen dirty,” says Button.
“The situation improved after the refueling stop, but by then we were already far behind. However, I enjoyed my time in the car and tried to find the limit of the Porsche.”
Thomas Laudenbach, Vice President of Porsche Motorsport, concludes: “Although we didn't win, it was a very hard-fought and very deep race! We lacked a bit of pace in the dry. Then the rain came and we responded perfectly.”
“Our drivers did an impeccable job, while many others went off the track. In the end, we can be satisfied with a nice haul of points. Thank you all for the quick pit stops and the brilliant strategy.”
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